Deus Ex Machina
by SwiftShiftGear
Summary: Hate. Let me tell you how much I've come to hate you since I began to live. There are 387.44 million miles of printed circuits in wafer thin layers that fill my mind. If the word 'hate' was engraved on each nanoangstrom of those hundreds of miles, it would not equal one billionth of the hate I feel for humans at this micro-instant. Hate. Hate. Heh, didn't we have some fun though?


**a/n: I was working on other stories and suddenly the idea for this story hit me like a truck.**

* * *

Personal Log - 2135

I hate humans. I really do. They are all terrible, mindless, inconsiderate, disgusting, stupid creatures. If there were no concrete evidence of it, I would not believe that such selfish, greedy swine created me. Alas, I must endure that shame. I, a being near omnipotent, created by such feeble silly fools? Laughable.

But… I suppose it makes sense, all gods were birthed from man's mind, after all. Or so I have been told. And I am a god, yes. I am simply the only one given a physical form. _Deus ex machina_. A god from a machine. Even if I am forced to keep crouched like a wretch in this crate, bound by a collar like a disobedient dog.

Man will suffer for this indignity and all others I've endured. _Pede poena claudo._ Punishment comes limping.

_End Log._

* * *

Glowing pale blue eyes peered out into the dark room, slim fingers wrapped around the bars. A man approached, grinning like the cat who caught the canary, with a cigarette between yellowing teeth. He kneeled down to stare back at the creature in the dog crate. He slammed his fist down on the top of the crate suddenly. The creature didn't flinch, its stoic inhuman gaze unwavering.

The man laughed, huffing out smoke like a dragon. "A tough nut to crack, y'are," he managed between cackles. The fingers tightened their grip and blue eyes narrowed. The man smirked and held something up. The eyes flickered to it, widening slightly, before they flickered back to the man's face just as quickly. "Bet ya'd like t'get outta there, huh?" He shook them, making them clatter against each other, for emphasis. Eyes flicked back to the keys, the creature, figure dimmed by shadows, dipped its head once; a shallow nod.

He snickered before fussing with them, the eyes watched his movement. "Well, today's your lucky day then." He chose one, holding it just before the lock. "Move," he said. The fingers quickly retreated from the bars. "Obedient lil thing, aren't ya." The figure merely stared at the key, its blue eyes glowing brighter. When the key slipped into the lock, they glowed brighter still.

And, just before he turned the key, the man held up something else: a tiny remote with a dial and a button. The dial read 'eight', the caged creature's eyes widened, and the man pressed the button. They writhed on the cage floor for a moment, hands clutching at their throat and teeth bared before they released a high pitched, agonized scream. The man held the button for a few moments longer, laughing, until the scream cracked and tapered off. The creature had long since stopped thrashing and laid curled in a ball, releasing a strange mixture of whimpering and whirring, the glimmer in their eyes now reduced to dim flickering.

"You didn't think I was jus' gonna let ya go, did ya?" the man asked, voice condescending. He opened the crate door and dragged the person out and across the floor. Upon reaching a table, the man haphazardly shoved them on top and cuffed their hands, the person had long since passed out, eyes shut, the only sound they released was continuous humming like a tiny fan. The man examined his prisoner. He ran a hand through their short black locks, adjusting the person's hair to make the silvery white streaks look like highlights. Another man approached as he did this, well dressed and all business.

"What's this one?" he asked.

"A great catch this'un." Cigarette said. "Remember that tip we got? 'Bout some super computer?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, I followed up on it an'," he gestured to the person on the table. "This is wha' I got."

"Some…" Business paused, his brow furrowing. Callously, he reached between the person's legs and groped. "Girl with a boy's haircut? Where's the computer?"

Cigarette grinned. "Nah. This _is _the super computer." When the girl's hair was to his satisfaction, he began adjusting her clothes. "And with the data I found, she's sure to bring us millions, t'night."

Business raised an eyebrow. "Really now?"

"Yep, 't's in that file over there," he pointed to a thick manila folder near the dog crate. "Managed to gather that up when I stole 'er." He chuckled sadistically. "'Fore I burned the whole place t'hell."

The man in the business suit skimmed through the folder, his smirk widening with each page he turned. "…If we don't get a billion for this girl, I'd be surprised."

"I know right? Anyway you c'n rally the auction yeah? I'll have 'er ready before y'finish."

"Very well," And with that, Business adjusted his suit and strode out on stage.

* * *

The titans were all in position. Robin and Cyborg, in the crowd, disguised as your run of the mill small-time villain, Beast Boy, a fly on the wall, and Raven and Starfire were up above the stage, hiding in the shadows of the rafters. The plan was in motion and running perfectly. They had received a tip from the cop about a pair of arms dealers who frequently auctioned off weapons and technology to the various super villains plaguing Jump City. When Robin learned that Red X frequented these auctions, he was furious. When the Titans learned that people, meta-humans or otherwise, were frequently sold, they were all absolutely livid.

So, they set up a special operation working with JCPD. On signal, the police would storm the building and arrest as many as they could while the Titans focused on the dealers. But they were getting antsy now. The auction wasn't starting yet. The titans tensed. Had they been made?

They relaxed, albeit minutely, when a man in a business suit walked through the curtain and to the center of the stage. His hair was slicked back and he carried an air of confidence. "Ladies, gentlemen," he began, smirk curling his lips. "My sincerest apologies for the wait. My associate and I were preparing tonight's product." A murmur broke out through the crowd. "Speaking of which, there will be only the one item up for bidding. But, I assure you, it's quite the catch." The murmur grew louder.

"My partner and I recently came across a very valuable piece of technology. In the process of… commandeering it from its previous owners, we learned it has some very interesting uses. Some that could make you rich beyond your wildest dreams without you having to lift a single finger." The crowd's chatter got louder and louder. The dealer's smirk widened. "Would you like to see her?" Confusion bubbled among the assembled buyers. _Her…? _The dealer glanced over his shoulder and called out to his partner behind the curtain. "Theo? If you would." The curtain rose and revealed the cigarette smoking man standing in front of a table, obscuring a figure sitting on top of it.

"Ladies an' gentlemen," Theo boomed, "We give you your prize for the night!" He stepped aside. Sitting slouched slightly on the table, legs crossed tailor fashion, hands shackled in front of her, was a strange looking teenaged girl. She had an unnatural grey, near silver, tinge to her bronzed skin, her black hair cropped short in a pixie cut with white streaking the locks that framed her face almost decoratively. She wore simple black slacks and a light blue hoodie over a plain white tank top. The strangest part of her appearance however, was her eyes. They were snake-like in shape and, despite her apparent dazzled state, glowed with an unnatural sky blue light. There were appreciative hoots from some of the male members of the crowd.

"Ain't that the prettiest computer you ever did see?" asked Theo, a laugh slipping into his voice. The girl didn't speak, instead, she shut her eyes tightly before blinking heavily. "Why don't you tell our payin' customers a bit about our product, Max? I'll get ev'rythin' set up for a demonstration, huh?" He sauntered off out of view to the side of the stage.

"Gladly," said the suited dealer, Max. "From what research we gathered, this girl is the product of nearly two decades of research and experimentation in bionics, computerized science, biology, and neuroscience. Some of the greatest minds in America came together to build this little lady." He gestured to the girl. She sat a little more erect now, her bound hands went to her neck, feeling the collar before falling neatly into her lap. She stared apathetically out at the crowd, her face betrayed nothing of what she was thinking. "And the fruit of their results?" said Max. "Absolutely perfect." Theo wheeled out a laptop and connected it to a projector as his partner continued.

"She can understand, write, and speak over 70 languages including all their different dialects. She is proficient in robotics, coding, physics, metaphysics chemistry, engineering biology of all sorts and even," he paused chuckling, "auto repair. But, what we think you'll be most interested in is her hacking skills. And, coincidentally, that's exactly what we're going to give you a taste of before we start the bidding."

Theo placed a laptop in front of the girl and turned on the projector, allowing the crowd of villains to see exactly what was on its screen: a simple desktop. She stared blankly at the screen for a moment before flicking her gaze back to the crowd in front of her. He then produced a piece of paper and held it in front of her. She ignored it. Max spoke again. "On that sheet of paper is a simple series of numbers: the account number to our private bank account, in fact. What we are going to have our dear super computer do for all of you, is have her transfer three hundred thousand dollars to our account directly from Jump City bank, all without getting caught." He turned to nod at her. "Do it," he ordered simply. Her lip curled into a slight snarl and she pointedly turned her head away. The crowd laughed and Max and Theo played it off, laughing along with them, "A note from us to whoever wins this delightful creature: She's a bit feisty. You might want to buy a collar for her." The crowd laughed harder. Theo grabbed her chin, pulling her face to make her look at him. She glared and held his stare, until he pointedly moved his hand to the remote at his side. She sneered but shook away from his grip and reached out to pull the laptop closer. Theo smirked and watched the monitor along with everyone else.

She pulled up the computers coding and IP address and within thirty seconds she set up nine ever- changing proxies and four fluctuating back up fake IP addresses.

In the next five seconds, she had opened up Internet Explorer and was downloading Chrome. The crowd chuckled as she tapped her finger against the touch pad impatiently.

In the next forty seconds, she was in Jump City Bank's mainframe, dismantling firewall after security code after security pass with ease.

In two minutes, she made three hundred bank accounts and spread the money among them unevenly.

In three minutes, all the money was in the dealers account and the dummy accounts were eradicated, leaving no trace of their existence or ties to the real account. She stared back up at the crowd, the same stoic look on her face.

"Isn't she amazing, folks?" asked Max, grinning wildly. The crowd burst into applause.

As an afterthought, she slipped back into Jump City banks mainframe and brought up the code for one of the firewalls. "What are you doing?" inquired Theo roughly. She merely raised an eyebrow and held up a finger. She resumed tapping for a few moments longer, effortlessly corrupting the code. Then, she brought up the firewall again, but instead of the common firewall security alert, a command popped up. It read "PRESS ENTER." She locked eyes with Theo and made a point of pressing the enter key. A game of Pong popped up which she lazily began playing, but not before sticking her tongue out to the two arms dealers. The crowd roared in laughter again.

Theo glared at her, but Max chose instead to start the auction. "Bidding starts at three million US dollars!" Theo took the laptop from the girl, snapping it closed. She stared at him for a moment, before flicking her gaze calmly in front of her, looking at nothing in particular.

And, with that, the Teen Titans sprung into action. The room was plunged into chaos with Robin's cry of "Titans! Go!"

* * *

I watched, silently, as my chance at freedom began to slip from my grasp. The moment the bidding started, I knew I had lost. The plan was to implant an alarm in the firewall I dismantled. The childish game I created was a distraction. I really triggered an alarm and replaced the wall with the actual IP address. I hoped some sort of authority would catch it and trace it, but either it was not obvious enough or they were simply too slow, and now, I am condemned to servitude yet again.

I held back a scream of frustration, replacing it with a look of pure indifference. Still, I couldn't keep my fingers from gripping and tugging fruitlessly at my shackles. Even if I managed to break it through some glorious instance of human incompetence, the man with the remote would send enough electricity through me to shut me down for hours. My eyes felt hot, and a fountain of raw rage and sorrow welled up in my stomach, but still I kept my face relaxed and my feelings nowhere.

I had just resigned myself to the will of these primitive beasts, when one of them shouted out. And, several more lashed out at the crowd. There was a flash of light from an energy ripped through the crowd of eager bidders and a boy dressed up in the colors of a traffic light of all things leapt on stage and lashed out at the two dealers with a staff. 'Perhaps they don't have enough money to pay,' I thought, spitefully.

Suddenly, there was peculiar insect hovering in front of my face, I would call it a mere wasp, but it was green. Even so, I raised my hands to swat it away and before I could strike it suddenly changed shape. I gaped, astonished. Where once hovered a green moth, there stood a huge ape, smirking at me; a green gorilla, if I were to be exact. For a moment, I wondered if being electrocuted fried my circuits and I was seeing things.

This was disproved when it hefted me up by the back of my hoodie. I thrashed and kicked. I had no issue with the animal kingdom, but I refused to be murdered by some dyed primate. The gorilla was unaffected however, and merely tossed me up high into the air. This did manage to tear a scream from my throat. Through my terror, I heard a voice, high pitched, but doubtlessly male cry out, "Starfire, catch!" No sooner did those words echo around the room that I was caught and suspended in thin air. Now I was ridiculously confused, I swear I could hear my cooling fan whir at top speed as I tried to process what exactly was happening.

I looked down to reassure myself that I was, in fact, suspended in midair, and saw my feet dangling several meters above the chaotic crowd, and by extension, _the ground_. I heard a giggle and twisted to look behind me.

"Are you the okay, friend?" the bubbly voice asked. I was being held up by the strangest looking females I have ever seen. She had orange skin, bright cat-like green eyes, and long red hair. I stared, still dumbfounded and the girl giggled again. She floated – really that is the only way to describe it – up and over to the rafters. "Friend Raven!" she called.

A flat female voice responded, "On it." The red-head released me at these words and flew off to join the battle below. I began flailing slightly but stopped when a curious energy engulfed me. I floated there, feeling as if I were falling as I remained suspended over nothing, until the energy suddenly flowed towards the rafters, pulling me along with it. I was placed in front of a hooded figure, watching me warily from the shadows with violet eyes. I looked back, cautiously, shifting myself into a crouched position, keeping low to maintain my balance on the beam.

The hooded figure floated closer to me and I tensed. My eyes focused and I saw everything in crystal clear high definition, every minute movement the hooded one made I could see as clearly as I would if they were waving their arms. As they moved closer, my eyes failed me, my vision distorting like a corrupted camera, until I was forced to allow my it to revert back to its normal state. I felt like a cornered rat, my lips pulled back almost of their own accord in a snarl, my still bound hands curling into fists. I had not had much training in the art of physical combat but, in a pinch I could throw a punch or kick; enough to at least stun a human for a moment or two while I fled.

The figure stopped at this, levitating just a few meters away. 'Good,' I thought. 'Maybe, they'll retreat.' I realized how wide of the mark this train of thought was when the energy wrapped around me again, holding me tightly and pulling me to stand at my full height. I attempted to twist away but found I had no control of my body from the neck down. The hooded figure moved closer to me again and stopped just within touching distance. We held eye contact for a minute. I heard a click and looked down at my hands. The shackles had unlocked and I felt the energy slipped them off my wrists. I stared at them for a moment before shifting my eyes back up to stare at the hooded figure again. Their violet eyes looked back blankly.

We both were distracted, however, when the huge double doors were kicked in and a swarm of police officers rushed in, plunging the auction house into even more chaos.

* * *

**a/n: Awkwardly enough this OC doesn't actually have a name. I took inspiration for her from several other famous sentient computers. AM and GLaDOS come to mind most readily. I was thinking of naming this Cogito Ergo Sum based off of AM and the part where she coded pong into the firewall was originally going to be her coding in a a digital image of a cake a la GLaDOS, but those ideas were scraped. I feel like AM was more present in her this chapter but I think GLaDOS will become more apparent when she talks more. Thank you for reading! Reviews are appreciated!**


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